Roofing



May 7, 1940.

C. C. SCHUETZ ROOFING Filed Sept. 26, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l y 1940- c. c. SCHUETZ 2,199,760

ROOFING Filed Sept. 26, 1938 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Patented May 7, 1 940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BDOFING Clyde 0. Schuetz, Chiw, 111-, alignor'to United States Gypsum notation of Illinois (1110 8 m a cor- Appllcation September 26, 1938, Serlal No. 231,667 11 (0|. ns-'1) the multiple tab type either in strip or roll form, l

and in which the tabs may be of various lengths and various edge contours whereby to provide unusual shadow efi'ects.

15 Another object of the invention is to provide a covering and element therefor of the multiple tab strip or roll shingle type which when applied in the usual overlapping manner to a structure, will provide an appearance of variable thickness,

20 warping, or-curling of'the individual tabs, and

the general appearance of weathered condition randomness which'is architecturally desira e.

A still further object'is to provide a covering 25 element which when applied will have the cutout portion or slots emphasized in such a manner that the division between the individual tabs will stand out markedly.

It is also an object to provide a strip or roll 30 roofing of thesingle tab type wherein the tabs may be of the same or different widths but of variable lengths, and wherein the butt thickness is accentuated by shadow line effects. The present invention is an improvement over 35 the disclosure in the joint application of Clyde C.

Schuetz and Frank B. Burns, Serial No. 202,170,

filed April 15, 1938, wherein is disclosed a covering element of the tab shingle type having tabs of various widths whereby when the element is ap- 40 plied in the manner disclosed, there can be no alignment in adjacent courses of cut-out portions or between cut-out portions and joints on adjacent horiaontal strips. The strips may be made with individual tabs'of diiferent lengths and of 45 different widths. a covering element is provided-which when applied breaks up horizontal and vertical lines by using strips of differing tab widths and lengths. Enough permutations are provided that repetition of the pattern is min- 50 imized so that it is not noticeable.

Strip shingles as previously made are ordinarily cut from a sheet of stock in such a manner that the thickness along the butt line .is uniform; also the tabsof these strips tend to lie flat and do not 55 twist or warp as do old weathered wood shingles.

'The present invention therefore contemplates a structure which will attain the rustic effect so highly desirable with certain types of architecture.

The effect of thickness of shingles as applied to a structure is produced very largely by the shadows cast by the upper courses upon the lower courses; thus broad shadow lines give an effect of thickness; narrow shadow lines give an efiect of thinnessi and tapering or curved shadow lines give an effect of varying thickness or of a warped shingle or tab. It has been found that these effects may be produced by providing the strip shingle or covering element with predetermined portions of contrasting color. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a covering element of the strip shingle type havin portions of contrasting color so related that when applied to a structure the contrasting colors will produce shadow effects simulating the weathered 2o appearance of a thatched covering.

' The' invention contemplates a. simple and economical means for producing a roof or side wall of the character described and having a covering element of the multiple tab type which when applied will give an effect of greater thickness to certain tabs and may also give a twisted or warped appearance to any or all of the tabs, as

desired.

The invention is also intended further to accentuate the randomness obtainable by the disclosure in the previously identified co-pending application.

In the preferred embodiment of this inventionthe outline of each tab may be emphasized. The strip shingles are made with individual tabs of various lengths. Some of the tabs may have end contours parallel to the top edge of the strip and some of the end contours may be curved or angular, as desired. 40

In the preferred embodiment the upper portion of the strip is colored black or other suitable dark color which will contrast with the lighter color of the tabs or lower portion of the strip. This coloring may be accomplished in any suitable manner, preferably by theapplication of'dark colored granules such as are ordinarily used in the production of strip shingles and rollrooflng.

Strip shingles are usually cut in adjacent parallel relation from a single sheet of material. The material is transversely slotted to provide the desired width of the individual shingles, and then sheared on a median line through the slots so that the two opposed strips are complementary with respect to the butt line of the tabs. In the present invention the individual tabs are sheared to provide various complementary contours closely adjacent the median line.

The contrasting relationship of the colored portions is such that when the strips are applied to a structure in normal overlapping relation, the dark colored portion may be completely covered by the longer tabs of the succeeding strip or by portions of the tabs that extend beyond the median line, and the shorter tabs or portions of the tabs of irregular contour will show the dark coloring below the end of the tab. Below the tabs which are cut obliquely from the median line the colored band may show only at one side and then taper the width of the tab. A tab with a curved butt contour low at the middle section thereof will show an artificial curved shadow line at each edge, and the tab will appear to be curled or warped. Other effects may be obtained by proper cutting of the butt line.

The dark shadow effect will also appear in the slots between the tabs. If .desired. the dark color may be used on a somewhat wider portion of the strip or covering element in such a manner. that the artificial shadow line or band appears below all tabs, with band portions of varying widths in accordance with the contour of the respective tabs.

If desired all tabs may be of the same length, in which case the artificial shadow line will give an effect of greater thickness to all the tabs, but will not give the efiect of tabs of varying thickness. The dark upper portion of the underlying strips will show through the slots between the tabs of the overlying strips and thus emphasize and accentuate the outline of the individual tabs. This has the effect of emphasizing the thickness of the tab edges and gives the eifect of thick butt shingles.

In another embodiment of this invention a narrow band of a suitable color may be applied adjacent the median line of the complementary shingles in such a mannerthat it will appear only adjacent the lower edge of the longer tabs. The band may be of such width that the shorter tabs will be uncolored at the butt or will carry only a narrow band and the longer tabs will carry a wider band. Likewise, by applying a nar-, row band of colored granules to the butt section of the strips along the median line, it is possible to obtain a curved effect by cutting the length .of'the tab at various distances from the median line. This may be effectively applied to covering elements having tabs of uniform width, but various lengths.

Further objects will be apparent from the specification and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the invention ccmprising a pair of complementary shingle strips as cut from a single sheet in the manner shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 illustrates another pair of complementary shingles which may be cut from the same sheet.

Fig. 3 illustrates the method of cutting the shingles disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 from a single sheet or from a continuous strip of material.

Fig. 4 illustrates shingles such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as applied in the normal overlapping relation to a building structure.

Fig. 5 illustrates one embodiment of the invention on which a contrasting color line is applied to the median line of the complementary shown by stipple in the drawings.

.width of the shingle tabs and prevent alignment shingles to produce a shadow effect simulating shingles of variousthiclmess.

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5, but shows the shingle butts out along somewhat different lines.

Fig. 7 illustrates the application of the shingles shown in Figs. 5 and 6 to a structure whereby the random effect of shingles of differentthickness is produced.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view illustrating an embodiment in which the slots between are irregularly formed to enhance the curled or warped efiect of adjacent tabs.

Fig. 9 illustrates an embodiment comprising individual shingles adapted to provide a random thatched weathered appearance. 1

Referring to the .drawings in detail, the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, comprises finished shingle elements I, 2, 3, and 4, the shingles l and 2 being complementary, and shingles 3 and 4 also being complementary so that they may be cut from a single sheet of material such as illustrated in Fig. 3. It will, of course, be understood that these complementary shingles may be cut from a single sheet or from a strip or roll as desired, and that the invention is not confined to the particular complementary outlines illustrated. The complementary outlines of the four shingles illustrated are selected merely for purposes of illustration and the shingles are complementary with respect to the butt lines of the various tabs.

The method of cutting the shingles illustrated in Fig. 3 is not essential to the present invention. However, it is an economical method of producing satisfactory shingles. 3

As shown in Fig. 3, the sheet or roll from which the complementary strips are to be cut may be provided with longitudinal bands of contrasting color which may be applied in any suitable manner such as by colored granules. The bands are so related that, when complementary shingle strips are cut from the sheet and overlapped in the usual manner, the black or darker portions will be exposed only sufliciently to produce the desired shadow efiects. The dark bands are One or more pairs of complemental shinglestrips may be cut from a single width of sheet as shown.

The sheets are provided with transverse slots 5 which are spaced as required to determine the of the slots in overlapping courses. The sheet is also cut longitudinally through the central dark band to separate the pairs of shingles, and the tabs are cut adjacent the median lines a: and y to provide various desired complementary end contours.

The tabs may be cut adjacent the median line in any suitable contour such, for instance, as illustrated, and preferably whereby the tabs on the shingle strip l are complementary to the tabs on strip 2, and, in a like manner, the tabs of strip 3 are complementary to those of strip 4. In this manner the tabs may be of varying contours and various lengths to produce the desired result.

Fig. 4 illustrates the actual application of several stripsto a building structure. These strips are oflset longitudinally in the usual manner, preferably to an extent of one half the strip.

As previously stated, the butt lines of the various tabs provide various weathered appearances when applied over the the shadow color. However, regardless of the design produced, if the length of tab is such that it does not extend to shadow the median line, then a portion of the color of ,the overlapped strip is exposed below the tab- For instance, in Fig. 4-the tab A iii-the upper course shows an angular edge. This tab is cut obliquely to the median line which happens to be substantially at the lower edge of tab B. This gives the eilect of a shingle warped' upwardly at the right hand side. Tab C has an arcuate end cut and gives the eflect a warped tab with the central portion raised out of the plane of the strip. r

Itshould particularly be noted that the top plan view of the butt-line contour of one of the shingle tabs is not a topplan view of the butt line of a warped shingle. For instance, the top plan view of the butt line of any warped shingle is substantially a straight line nearly at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the shingle. In the present invention, the warped and weathered appearance of the shingles is produced by cutting the ends of the tabs with a butt-line contour substantially or approximately conforming to the end view contour of a warped shingle, the appearance of which it is desired to simulate. In other words, the novel result obtained by the invention, which comprises the simulation of a random-thatched warped and weathered roof, is produced, not by cutting the tabs to the plan view configuration of the warped shingles, but instead is obtained by cutting the butt lines in a manner to combine a top plan view and an end view in the configuration, and this type of combined configurations outlined on the strongly contrasting background and in the specified relationship to the lower edge thereof, obtains a new and novel result comprising an optical illusion of perspective in which the covering presents a random thatched warped and weathered appearance when viewed from substantially any angle.

The strip shingles previously described are preferable; however, in some cases it may be desirable to provide individual shingles. This may be accomplished by cutting individual shingles having different butt contours as shown in Fig. 9. Each shingle is provided with contrasting areas corresponding to the strip shingles previously described and suitable selection and-application of adjacent shingles will provide a roof or side wall covering having the desired random thatchedand weathered appearance. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate an embodiment wherein the strip from which the elements are to be cut is provided with a narrow band of dark granules, or is otherwise suitably colored along the median line between complemental strips. The .dark band is preferably approximately 1" wide, and may be applied in any suitable manner well known in theart. After this band is applied, the material is cut longitudinally adjacent the median line to provide tabs of various lengths as shown, and complementary strips 6 and 1 (Fig. 5) and complementary strips 8 and' 9 (Fig. 6) are thereby provided. If desired, the butt line of the tabs may be cut to form various arcuate and angular contours similar to those previously described. r

Fig. 7 illustratesstrips such as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 applied to a building structure in the normal overlapping manner and illustrates the shadow efiect produced. The shaded portions represent portions of the dark band which, when the strips are overlapped, may appear substanof various thickness and length.

of shingles Fig. 8 illustrates an embodiment'in which the slots Ba.- between the tabs are irregularly formed in a manner to enhance the curled or warped appearance of the adjacent tabs. This provides this embodiment provides the eflect a particularly effective rustic weathered and random eilect.

The invention has been described as applied tothe usual asphalt strip or roll roofing of the tab type. However, it may also be used with equal effectiveness when applied to asbestos cement shingles or sidings of the tab variety.

Modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is desired, therefore, that the invention be limited only by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

various lengths, at least the longer tabs having narrow bands of contrasting color along the butt edges, the upper edges of all of said bands being in longitudinal alignment, and the width of said bands being increased with the increased length tabs, thereby simulating shingles of various butt thickness.

4. A covering for a building structure compris-- ing' overlapped shingle strips having shingle tabs of various lengths, at least the longer tabs having narrow bands of contrasting color adjacent the butt edges, the width of said bands varying directly with the length of the respective tabs,

whereby tosimulate a random thatched covering with shingles of various butt'thickness.

5. A building strip having shingle tabs-of various lengths, each tab having a narrow band of contrasting color along its butt edge, the width of said bands varying in accordance with the relative lengths of said tabs, said color being of sufiicient contrast to said tabs to simulate different butt thicknesses in the same strip.

'6. A building strip having tabs on one edge with slots therebetween, said tabs being of various lengths and a material number of said tabs having various end contours randomly arranged, the top view of said end contours conforming generally to the end view butt-line contours of corresponding warped shingles," the body portion of said strips adjacent the closed ends of said slots being of materially darker color than saidtabs whereby when the strips are overlapped in the normal manner the darker surface is exposed through the slots and at least partially below the ends of a material number of said tabs to simulate shadows cast by the butt arranged, the top view, of said end contours con forming generally to the end view butt-line con-' with slots therebetween, saidtabsbeing ofvari= ous lengths and a material number of said tabs having various side and end contours randomly tours of corresponding warped shingles and the side contours corresponding generally to a top plan view of said correspondingly warped shingles, the body portion of said stripsadjacent the closed ends of said slots being of materially darker color than said tabs whereby when the strips are overlapped in the normal manner the darker surface is exposed through the slots and at least partially below the ends of a material number of lsaid tabs to simulate shadows cast by the butt edges of said tabs and provide the appearance of warped a'nd weathered shingles.

8. -In a covering for abuilding structure com- ,prising overlapping shingle strips having tabs with slots therebetween, the normally overlapped portions being of a color contrasting with the exposed tabs, and the tabs of each strip being of,

various edge contours whereby a portion of the overlapped color is exposed, said exposed color areas having contours defined by saidtabs and corresponding generally to the butt-line contours of the end view of warped shingles'to thereby produce shadow eflects simulating a warped and weathered condition of individual tabs and ofthe covered surface as a whole. 1

9. Individual shingles adapted to be applied in overlapping relationship on a support, the normally overlapped portions of said shingles being of a color contrasting with the butt portions and the butt portions of said shingles being o f various contours, the top view of the butt end contours conforming generally to the end view butt-line contours of correspondingly warped shingles whereby when said shingles are contrasting color are exposed immediately adjacent the butt edges to provide a shadow eflect simulating a random thatched weathered covering with individual differently warped shin-- les.

10. A building strip having a random arrange- -ment of tabs of different widths with slots therebetween, said tabs having curved, straight, and angular contours in random relatiom to each other and in randomly varying relationship to the median line of said end contours, the contours of a material number of said tabs each comprising generally a combined top view and end view of. a correspondingly warped shingle, the body portion of said strip from adjacent the closed ends of said slots being of materially darker color than said tabs so that, when said strips are secured in overlapping relation and with the said median line of one strip substantially coincident with the bottom margin of said darker color,- the exposed dark areas are defined by said random arrangement and random contours whereby to simulate shadows cast by warped and weathered shingle elements in a random thatched covering.

11. A building strip having tabs with slots therebetween, said tabs having randomly associated end contours randomly arranged with respect to the median line of said end contours and corresponding in plan view shape generally to the end views of warped shingles, the body portion of said strip from adjacent the closed ends of said slots being of materially darker color than said tabs so that, when said strips are secured in overlapping relation and with the said median line of one strip substantially coincident with the bottom margin of said darker color, the exposed dark' areas are defined by said random arrangement whereby to simulate shadows cast by warped and weathered shingle elements in a random thatched cover.

"CLYDE C. SCHUE'IZ.

laid in random selection irregular areas of said 

